Study of the major developments, achievements, and contradictions in Greek culture from the Bronze Age to the 4th century BCE. Key works of literature, history, and philosophy (read in English translation) will be examined in their political and social context, and in relation both to other ancient Mediterranean cultures and to subsequent developments in Western civilization.

This course provides an introduction to the literature, culture, and history of Ancient Greece, spanning the archaic through the Hellenistic periods (8th-3rd centuries BCE)—from the emergence of early Greek city-states to the transformation of the Mediterranean after Alexander the Great. We will read and engage with a diverse range of primary sources in translation, including poetry, historiography, drama, philosophy, and oratory. Key themes include the shifting nature of Greek identity, the development of literary genres, the social and cultural contexts of performance and textual production, and the evolution of key philosophical and political ideas. Along the way, we will trace the afterlives of certain ancient Greek terms as influential concepts in intellectual history and consider different approaches to reading ancient texts, in dialogue with modern reception.

Credit Restrictions

Students will receive no credit for CLASSIC 10A after completing CLASSIC S10AX, or CLASSIC S10A.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills